Page 57 of The Vampire Kingpin
I halted and so did Velma.
“I like you, Lark—a lot.”
Hell, like didn’t come close to covering it. My need for Lark had grown teeth and claws. It tore at my insides, demanding me to stop pretending to myself that there was any planet where I’d let her walk away as promised.
I massaged my chest with my knuckles, trying to dig out the pain. But the sharp-toothed, clawed thing had already burrowed too deep.
“I can’t—.” I shook my head, swallowed. “I can’t lose her like Amina.”
“Hey. We both know there aren’t any guarantees, bro.” Velma moved closer and squeezed my shoulder, which was unusual in itself—Velma didn’t like to be touched—her face soft with concern. “But you push her away, you’re gonna lose her anyhow, and I think she’s your true mate, the reason you never claimed Amina. There’s something between you two—you just have to be in the same room and it’s like sparks going off. We’ve all seen it. So get your head outta your ass and claim her before she takes off.” She shook my shoulder and released me. “Okay?”
I tipped my head back, staring at the tunnel ceiling as if the answer might be written on the gritty concrete. “I dunno. I just don’t fucking know.”
Our phones buzzed in unison. Thankful for the interruption, I yanked mine out.
Velma stabbed a finger at me. “Think about, yeah?”
“I will, alright?” I grumbled, pulling up the message.
It was Jacko, informing us that Grimclaw and Troll had been seen about a half mile from the Cavern, at the outer edge of my lair’s personal territory. He included a crossroads where we could meet him.
Velma’s gaze locked onto mine over her phone, a quietly vicious satisfaction on her fine features. “Mr. Tiny Dick finally showed up.”
Monster jogged up. “You heard?”
“About Grimclaw and Troll?” I said. “Yeah.”
“Texting Jacko now,” Velma muttered, fingers flying over her screen, “telling him we’re on our way.”
“Let’s go.” I broke into a run.
We sprinted the two miles to the crossroads in under five minutes. Jacko stepped out of the shadows, halting us. “There.” He jabbed a finger around the corner.
Velma and I peered down the tunnel. Lark was huddled with Grimclaw and Troll, speaking in hushed tones.
Velma stiffened. “What in the name of the Kali?” she said under her breath.
Lark’s voice rose. “I can get the money, okay? Just give me a few days to work on him.”
She might as well have lobbed a live grenade at me. My initial shock morphed into fury. I slid my dagger from the holster on my belt loop and stalked toward them, Velma behind me and Jacko flitting ahead and to the side.
Behind us, Monster whispered, “I’ll be in the shadows.”
I barely registered what he’d said over the angry buzzing in my head, but I managed a tight nod.
Lark spun around, hand flying to her mouth. Her guilty expression added gasoline to the fire in my chest.
“Spider. I?—”
The buzzing increased to the roar of a thousand drones. I grabbed her and pushed her at Velma. “Shut up and wait with Velma.”
“It’s not what you th?—”
My growl came from the primal, feral place. “I told you to shut the fuck up.”
Grimclaw and Troll stared at us, open-mouthed but somehow satisfied, too.
“And you?” I told them. “You’re dead. You should’ve gotten outta here when the rest of your lair did.”
